Never mind
that they actually originated in the Middle East. The food
that is perhaps the most Indian of all Indian foods, the
food most people think of first when they think of Indian
foods, is samosas. — Samosas are the ultimate street food.
A bit of filling stuffed into dough and fried, small enough
that you can eat it with your fingers, is served in one form
or another by street vendors all around the world. — But
it is in India that it is most popular and best known. The
quintessential street food has invaded the menus of even the
finest Indian restaurants around the world. — Samosas have
two parts, the filling part and the dough part. Fillings can
be meat or vegetarian, they can be made of seafood or cheese
or nuts and raisins. The dough can be homemade or fashioned
out of an already-existing pastry, such as store-bought
phyllo sheets, and it can be baked or fried.

I decided to
try three different fillings, two homemade doughs and one
store-bought, and I fried two and baked one. I also made the
two sauces most commonly served with samosas, a spicy mint
chutney and a sweet and tangy tamarind chutney.

For my first
filling, I went to the best possible source: the
Pakistan-born mother of a friend. She gave me a recipe for
keema samosas, which are filled with ground meat — in this
case, beef.

India, of
course, is predominately Hindu, so beef is rarely used
there. Indian keema samosas tend to be made with mutton —
adult sheep — or lamb. But Pakistan is overwhelmingly
Muslim, so their keema samosas are made with beef.

Mother, as it
turns out, knows best. The filling was easy to make, and had
a delicately balanced, yet just right, mix of simple,
comforting flavors. It wasn’t even very hot, but that may
be because the green chiles that I bought were almost
entirely devoid of heat.

Wrapped in
dough and fried, they made a delightful snack. Baked, they
would be almost as good and would have fewer calories.

I next made a
different kind of keema samosa, this one with ground
chicken. The recipe I used for this chicken samosa came from
sub-Saharan Africa, where Indian immigrants have settled in
great numbers, bringing their marvelous recipes with them.

This samosa
was hotter than the beef ones I made, but it wasn’t
overpoweringly hot because, as I believe I mentioned, the
green chiles that I bought were almost entirely devoid of
heat.

But they had
plenty of flavor. Along with garlic and ginger — a
standard combination in many Indian foods — they are made
with curry powder (definitely not a standard in traditional
Indian foods), cayenne, paprika and cilantro, plus onions
and peas. They gain additional flavor from an Asian chile
sauce. I used sriracha. I’m ecumenical that way.

It was
amazingly good. The heat and spice were just right to stand
up to the fried dough, and also those magnificent chutneys.

Perhaps the
most popular kind of samosa in this country is the one that
is filled with spiced potatoes and peas, so, naturally, I
decided to make a batch of those, too. These ones I decided
to bake, and rather than make more fresh dough, I used
store-bought phyllo.

As an
experiment, I fried one of these phyllo-wrapped samosas,
too. I wouldn’t recommend it. The phyllo was greasy on the
outside, and raw on the inside. Baking is definitely the way
to go with phyllo.

The potato
and pea filling, however, was superb. It is flavored with
mustard seeds, the familiar spice mix garam masala and a
minced green chile (perhaps I haven’t mentioned that it
was almost entirely devoid of heat). I did not use amchur,
which is dried mango powder, because I wanted to make the
samosas without going to an international food store.

That said, I
went to an international food store because I wanted to pick
up some ajwain seeds (also known as carom seeds) to use in
one of the homemade doughs.

I also used
some Indian chili powder, which is made from crushed red
peppers and is unrelated to the chili powder Americans use
to make chili. It has a rounder, fuller flavor than cayenne
pepper, and is also milder, but cayenne is close enough to
use — in smaller amounts — if you don’t want to get
the Indian chili powder. But get the Indian chili powder if
you’re ever at an international food store. It only costs
a couple of bucks.

Of course,
samosas aren’t samosas without a mint chutney and a
tamarind chutney.

The tamarind
requires tamarind pulp, so, yeah, that does require a trip
to the international food store (you can buy it frozen). The
recipe also calls for jaggery, which is a form of cane sugar
that is often used in South Asia, but I just substituted
brown sugar instead.

The result
was spectacular, maybe even better than the tamarind chutney
you get at Indian restaurants.

The thick
mint chutney was equally impressive. It is an equal mix of
mint and cilantro, plus garlic, salt, lemon juice, a dash of
sugar and some minced green chiles.

The chutney
had some heat to it, but not as much as you might expect.
For obvious reasons.

———

BEEF SAMOSAS

Yield: 12
servings (24 small samosas)

1 2/3 cups (7
ounces) all-purpose flour

1 1/2
teaspoons salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon
ajwain (carom) seeds, optional

4 tablespoons
oil, such as sunflower oil, divided, plus more for frying if
desired

About 5
tablespoons water

1/2 medium
onion, chopped

Black pepper
to taste

1/2 teaspoon
Indian chili powder, see note

1 clove
garlic, minced, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound
ground beef

1 large wedge
of lemon

1 1/2
tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 1/2
tablespoons chopped fresh mint, optional

Note: Indian
chili powder is not related to American chili powder, which
is not a substitute. It is available at international food
markets. If you do not have it, use 1/4 teaspoon or more of
cayenne pepper.

1. Make the
dough: Put the flour, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and ajwain
seeds (if using) in a bowl and add 3 tablespoons of the oil.
Use your fingers to rub the oil into the flour until it
resembles coarse sand. Gradually add the water, stirring,
just until the dough comes together (you may need more or
less water, depending on the humidity in your kitchen).

2. Knead for
a few minutes until smooth, then place in a greased bowl.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to rest 15 to 20
minutes.

3. While the
dough is resting, make the filling. Heat the remaining 1
tablespoon oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion until
soft, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt,
black pepper, chili powder (or cayenne) and garlic. If using
fresh garlic, sauté for 30 seconds. Add ground beef, and
sauté.

4. When the
beef is almost done, squeeze the lemon over it and add
cilantro and optional mint. Remove from heat when done.

5. Roll out
the rested dough into a long cylinder. Cut the cylinder into
12 portions and use a rolling pin to roll each portion into
a circle with a diameter of 4 to 5 inches. Cut each circle
in half.

6. Take 1
semicircle of dough in the palm of your hand and brush some
water along the edge. Shape it into a cone by folding it in
half on the straight edge, then sticking the 2 straight
edges together. Put 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture into
the cone. Brush the open edge of the dough with water, and
press to seal. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

7. If frying,
heat at least 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees and fry 2 or 3
samosas at a time until golden brown on both sides, about 2
to 3 minutes. If baking, heat oven to 350 degrees and brush
baking sheet and samosas lightly with oil. Bake until golden
brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

1/2 teaspoon
to 1 teaspoon pepper sauce or chili sauce, such as sriracha

1/2 teaspoon
smoked paprika

1 teaspoon
white pepper

1/2 teaspoon
cayenne pepper

1/2 pound
ground chicken, beef or turkey

1/3 cup
frozen peas

2 to 3
tablespoons cilantro or parsley

Salt to taste

For the dough

3 cups
all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon
granulated sugar

1 1/2
teaspoons salt

1 cup warm
water

1/2 cup oil
or ghee (clarified butter)

1. For the
filling: In a medium-large skillet, add oil, onions, garlic
and ginger, and sauté, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3
minutes. Add curry, pepper sauce, paprika, white pepper and
cayenne; cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add ground meat and cook
until done. Add peas and parsley, and season to taste with
salt. Remove from heat to cool. This may be prepared up to a
day in advance.

2. For the
dough: In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar and salt.
Add water and oil or ghee. Mix just until the ingredients
come together. On a heavily floured surface, knead the dough
until it is soft, elastic and smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Do not overwork the dough.

3. Divide
dough into 8 balls. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll
each ball in turn into a thin circle. Cut the circle in
half. Place a generous 1 to 2 tablespoons of filing in the
middle of the semi-circle and use your finger to lightly
moisten the dough edges with water. Fold the end over the
filling to form a triangle. Continue with the remaining
dough.

4. If frying,
heat at least 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees and fry 2 or 3
samosas at a time until golden brown on both sides, about 3
or 4 minutes. If baking, heat oven to 350 degrees and brush
baking sheet and samosas lightly with oil. Bake until golden
brown, about 30 minutes.

Note: Indian
chili powder is not related to American chili powder, which
is not a substitute. It is available at international food
markets. If you do not have it, use 1/4 teaspoon or more of
cayenne pepper.

1. Heat oil
in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds. Once
they begin to pop, stir in the green chile, salt, chili
powder or cayenne, optional mango powder and garam masala,
and mix well.

2. Add the
peas and cook until they are softened, 1 minute for frozen
or 5 to 6 minutes for fresh. Add the mashed potatoes, mix
well and cook 2 minutes until well combined. Remove from
heat and allow to cool.

3. If using
phyllo dough or you wish to bake the homemade dough, preheat
oven to 350 degrees; phyllo should be baked. Take 1 sheet of
phyllo, covering remaining sheets with a damp towel. Fold
phyllo in thirds, lengthwise, and brush edges with water.
Place 11/2 to 2 tablespoons potato mixture about 1 inch from
one end and fold over to form a triangle. Continue folding
as you would a flag, tucking the last edge into the slot
formed by the sheet.

4. If using
homemade dough, divide dough into 10 balls. Roll out each
ball into a thin circle. Cut each circle in half and moisten
the edges with water, using your finger. Place 1 tablespoon
of filling in the center of each semicircle and fold the
dough over in half, sealing the edges.

5. If baking,
place the samosas on a lightly greased baking sheet (brush
oil over the tops of the samosas if using phyllo). Bake
until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

6. If frying,
heat at least 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees and fry 2 or 3
samosas at a time until golden brown on both sides, about 3
or 4 minutes.

Notes:
Tamarind pulp is available at international markets. Be sure
to buy the kind that is mostly water. Otherwise, pour 1 cup
of boiling water over 4 ounces of tamarind and allow to soak
for 30 minutes. Pass through a strainer, pushing on the pulp
to extract as much flavor as possible. Use the flavored
liquid for this chutney.

— Indian
chili powder is not related to American chili powder, which
is not a substitute. It is available at international food
markets. If you do not have it, use a scant 1/4 teaspoon of
cayenne pepper.

1. Mix the
tamarind pulp, dates and brown sugar in a small saucepan and
bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally,
until thickened. Stir in the salt, chili powder and cumin.

2. Remove
from heat and strain, pressing on the dates to extract more
flavor. This chutney will keep in an airtight container in
the refrigerator for 15 to 20 days.